Beneficial Effects of Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var italica) By-products in Diet-induced Obese Mice.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Obesity currently affects the whole world, with greater incidence in high-income countries, with vast economic and social costs. Broccoli harvest generates many by-products equally rich in bioactive compounds with potential anti-obesity effects. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-obesity effects of broccoli by-products flour (BF) in obese mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A commercial high-fat diet formulation (representing a Western diet) was used to induce obesity in mice. BF (0.67% or 1.34% weight/weight) was incorporated as a chemoprevention compound into a control and a hypercholesterolemic diet, at two different concentrations, and fed for 14 weeks to C57BL/6J mice. For a therapeutic approach, two groups were fed with the hypercholesterolemic diet for 10 weeks, and then fed with BF-supplemented diets in the last 4 weeks of the study. RESULTS: BF supplementation helped to maintain a lower body weight, reduced adipose tissue accumulation, and enhanced the basal activity of superoxide dismutase and glutathione S-transferase. Although BF supplementation tended to reduce the relative liver weight increased by the Western diet, the differences were not significant. CONCLUSION: BF appears to have a beneficial effect in preventing weight gain and fat accumulation induced by hypercholesterolemic diets.

In vivo study of hepatic oxidative stress and mitochondrial function in rabbits with severe hypotension after propofol prolonged infusion.

In humans, prolonged sedations with propofol or using high doses have been associated with propofol infusion syndrome. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of prolonged high-dose administration of a specific propofol emulsion (Propofol Lipuro) and an improved lipid formulation (SMOFlipid) in liver mitochondrial bioenergetics and oxidative stress of rabbits, comparatively to a saline control. Twenty-one male New Zealand white rabbits were randomly allocated in three groups that were continuously treated for 20 h. Each group of seven animals received separately: NaCl 0.9 % (saline), SMOFlipid (lipid-based emulsion without propofol) and Lipuro 2 % (propofol lipid emulsion). An intravenous propofol bolus of 20 mg kg(-1) was given to the propofol Lipuro group to allow blind orotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation. Anesthesia was maintained using infusion rates of: 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 mg kg(-1) h(-1), according to the clinical scale of anesthetic depth and the index of consciousness values. The SMOFlipid and saline groups received the same infusion rate as the propofol Lipuro group, which were infused during 20 consecutive hours. At the end, the animals were euthanized, livers collected and mitochondria isolated by standard differential centrifugation. Mitochondrial respiration, membrane potential, swelling and oxidative stress were evaluated. Data were processed using one-way ANOVA (p < 0.05). The animals revealed a significant decrease in cardiovascular parameters showing bradycardia and severe hypotension. No statistical differences were observed when using pyruvate as substrate, however, when using succinate as respiratory substrate, significant decrease in ADP-stimulated respiration rate was observed for SMOFlipid group (p = 0.002). Lipid peroxides (p < 0.01) and protein carbonyls (p = 0.01) showed a statistically significant difference between propofol Lipuro and the SMOFlipid groups. These results suggest that lipid-based emulsions can be involved in the regulation of different pathways that ultimately lead to a decrease of state 3 mitochondrial respiration rate. The infusion of propofol Lipuro during prolonged periods, in addition to marked hypotension and hypoperfusion, also showed to have higher anti-oxidant activity and lower impairment of the mitochondrial function comparatively to the improved lipid formulation, SMOFlipid, using the rabbit as animal model.

Expression of CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 in the liver and kidney of rabbits after prolonged infusion of propofol.

BACKGROUND: Propofol biotransformation occurs in the liver via hydroxylation by CYP450 enzymatic complex and by glucuronidation, however extra-hepatic metabolism has also been described. OBJECTIVES: To better understand the metabolic pathways involved in propofol biotransformation, the expression of CYP1A1, CYP1A2, the enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant activity and the amount of propofol and its non-conjugated metabolites were investigated. METHODS: Twenty-one NewZealand rabbits were allocated into three groups continuously treated for 20h. Each group received: NaCl 0.9%, vehicle (SMOFlipid) and propofol 2% (Lipuro). At the end, liver and kidney samples were collected for histopathology and immunohistochemistry and plasma for quantification of propofol and its metabolites. RESULTS: CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 were observed in zone 1 and zone 3 regions of the liver acinus. The propofol and saline groups showed a higher expression of CYP1A1 when compared to vehicle group. Propofol significantly increased CYP1A2 expression, compared to saline. CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 immunoexpression were observed in the kidney but no differences were registered between groups. CONCLUSIONS: This suggests that propofol may act as selective inhibitor of CYP1A1 and an inducer of CYP1A2 expression in different regions of the liver. Propofol seems to have an antioxidative protective effect on liver parenchyma, comparatively to the emulsion alone. In the rabbit, extra-hepatic propofol biotransformation may also occur in the kidney.

A case of pulmonary cryptococcosis in a free-living toad (Bufo bufo).

Pulmonary cryptococcosis was observed in a free-living adult female common toad (Bufo bufo) that was killed by a vehicle. Both lungs had various eosinophilic, monomorphic, and spherical to elliptical organisms identified as Cryptoccocus spp. The yeasts were demonstrated by Grocott's silver method and the periodic acid-Schiff reaction and the capsule was positive for mucin with a mucicarmine stain. The agent was confirmed by immunohistochemistry, using the monoclonal antibody anti-Cryptococcus neoformans, and by a polymerase chain reaction-based method using a C. neoformans-specific primer. This report, to the best of our knowledge, represents the first case of cryptococcosis in a common toad.